


Puppy Eyes

by poexdameron



Series: This Wonderful Life of Ours [2]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Parenthood, but they also have a small daughter, the fic where eddie and richie get a dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 11:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21319195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poexdameron/pseuds/poexdameron
Summary: Knowing his daughter, Richie knew what was about to come out of her mouth. It was about to be a long car ride home and a long evening. He could already see himself sending Eddie a warning text. ‘Home is a tantrum zone. Stay at work.’The fic where Richie and Eddie have a young daughter who wants a dog.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: This Wonderful Life of Ours [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1527197
Kudos: 81





	Puppy Eyes

Richie’s job as a comedian made taking their daughter to all of her appointments and activities much easier. He was often free during the day and was more than eager to help out with her activities. Eddie came and helped out when he could, but his job was rather time consuming and he spent more time away from his family than he would like. 

One of Taylor’s favorite activities was her after school art club. Even though she was only five, she was pretty good at drawing and painting. Richie gave the credit for that to Eddie. His husband was constantly doodling little sketches and leaving his creative paintings all over the house. Eddie would often show Taylor how to draw using different techniques, and would take her to the art supply store to buy her the best paints and pencils. 

On one of these activity days, Richie walks into Taylor’s classroom and his eyes immediately begin scanning the room for his daughter. He spots her doing some intense finger painting with bright neon colors. Her face is scrunched up in concentration and somehow she has managed to get purple paint in her hair. As Richie approaches the table, her painting takes form and he notices that it is a picture of him and Eddie. Over top of them both was a neon pink heart and the words “ _ I love my daddies _ .” Richie smiles and feels tears well up in his eyes.

Taylor notices him and she gasps, her mouth breaking into a wide grin. “Papa!” She jumps out of her seat and hugs his legs tightly. Not caring that she was currently getting fresh paint all over her father's pants.

Richie reaches down and gently ruffles her hair, “Hey kiddo.” He pretends like he is noticing her painting for the first time, “Oh, what's that?”

Taylor grabs the painting off of the table and proudly displays it in front of her. “It’s a picture! Of you and daddy!”

“It’s very pretty sweetheart.”

“Will daddy like it?”

Richie leans down and scoops Taylor up into his arms, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think daddy will love it.” He wished Eddie could be there with him now to see just how cute the moment was. He knew Eddie would be just as touched when he retold him later, but it was the simple moments like this when he missed his husband the most. 

She giggles and points at the painting, “I made daddy shorter than papa.” 

Richie looks at the painting and laughs softly, “Daddy will love that you pointed out how short he is.” He knew Eddie would love the painting just as much as he did, height accuracies and all.

“Can we leave now, papa?” Her request to leave was sudden, but Richie chalked it up to her wanting to go home and watch cartoons. 

“Of course sweetheart, let me just say goodbye to your teacher.” Richie says goodbye to the activity supervisor and a few of the other parents, before heading out to the car. While they’re walking, Taylor hits him with an unexpected question.

“Why does daddy never pick me up from school?” Her face is slightly sad, which breaks Richie’s heart. 

“Daddy has work, you know that.” 

“Why?”

Richie can’t help but chuckle at the one worded question. Even though it was a serious conversation, she asked why  _ everything _ was the way it was. Why work? What’s the fun in work? Good question.

“Adults have to work.” 

Taylor scrunches her nose up again, “I don’t want daddy to work.”

Richie laughs softly, he couldn’t help but agree. “I wish daddy didn’t have to work either.”

As the reach the car, Richie tries to balance her on his hip as he opens the door. He manages to get her inside and adjust all of her things in an astonishingly short amount of time. As soon as he’s in the driver's seat he gets an idea. Peaking into the rear-view mirror at his daughter he grins, “Hey Taylor? What do you say we go get some ice cream?”

Her face lights up brighter than the sun. She squeals in delight and begins furiously kicking the seat of the car. “YES! Please papa! Please!”

Richie chuckles as he drives off of the school parking lot, “Okay, we’ll go.” He puts a finger up to his lips in a ‘hush’ gesture. “Just don’t tell daddy, okay? He’ll be sad he didn’t get to come with us.”

His daughter nods her head furiously, “I won’t tell daddy.”

Richie could picture it now. Taylor somehow letting their secret outing slip, and Eddie scolding Richie for giving her ice cream before dinner. However, he knew that deep down Eddie really didn’t mind, and would want to come with them more than anything. 

Eddie was usually the parent that was more relaxed out of the two. His childhood had been spent in turmoil, so he often tried to give Taylor everything he wished he could have had. He would do anything and everything that she wanted, including before dinner ice cream trips and messy kitchen art projects. Richie could recall several times where he had come home to his husband and daughter with wet paint and glitter coating the kitchen table and floor. 

After a short drive they arrive at the ice cream parlor. Richie inspects the huge board with what seemed like thousands of options. If Eddie was with them, he would be incredibly cute and ask to try at  _ least  _ ten different flavors. If Richie was quick enough, sometimes he would swipe the tasting spoon from Eddie before it could make it to his mouth. Which would result in a pout from Eddie and giggles from their daughter. 

“What do you want, Taylor?” Richie looks down at his daughter who was deeply focused on the question. He already knows what she wants, chocolate with sprinkles. She isn’t adventurous when it comes to food, so she gets the same thing every time. 

She touches her temple and scrunches up her face like she was deep in concentration. Richie loves watching her when she gets animated like this. It makes his heart go soft and all he wants to do is pepper kisses all over her face and tell her how much better she makes his life. 

“Chocolate with sprinkles!” Her eyes light up and she bounces up and down with excitement. 

Richie chuckles, “Okay, I think we can manage that.” He turns to the cashier and orders two small cups of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry. After a short wait, the cashier hands the cups to Richie through the window. Richie shoots them a quick thanks, and walks with Taylor over to a small table. 

Taylor immediately beings digging into hers with enthusiasm. It doesn’t take long for her mouth to be covered in chocolate ice cream and sprinkles. Richie tries to reach over and wipe her face with a napkin, but she swats his hand away.

“Papa I’m trying to eat my ice cream!” Her voice is slightly annoyed and the look that she gives her father is mildly threatening.

“Okay, sorry I was just trying to help.” He smiles at her as he watches her dig back into the cold little scoops with more excitement than he had ever seen. 

As the pair is eating, a woman walks past the table with her small dog. It’s a fluffy yellow Pomeranian with a short pink tongue flapping out of its mouth. Around its neck sits a small green collar with an assortment of charms and tags. The jingling of the charms is enough to catch Taylor’s attention. 

“Puppy!” She drops the spoon of her ice cream and it clatters to the concrete below the table. Her sticky chocolate coated fingers quickly point in the direction of the dog. Her breathing turns into excited gasps and before Richie could stop her, she's out of her chair and running towards the dog. 

The woman sees Taylor coming and politely stops. She bends down to Taylor’s height and smiles as she introduces her dog. 

Richie quickly gets up from the table and joins them. “I’m so sorry ma’am, I hope it's okay for my daughter to pet your dog.” He makes a mental note to sit down and have a conversation with Taylor about asking for permission to pet other peoples pets.

The woman nods kindly, “Of course! He’s a sweetie and doesn’t bite. Matter of fact, he loves the attention.”

Taylor is busy petting the dog and planting lots of kisses on its head. Her giggles are met with loving licks from the dog. She looks up at the woman, “What’s his name?”

“Scooby.”

“Like Scooby Doo?”

The woman laughs, “Yes, like Scooby Doo. My son named him and that was his obsession at the time.”

Taylor keeps running her hand through the dogs fluffy fur. “Oh Scooby, I love you.” She gives him a few more gentle kisses before standing back up and looking at Richie with pleading eyes. 

Knowing his daughter, Richie knew what was about to come out of her mouth. It was about to be a long car ride home and a long evening. He could already see himself sending Eddie a warning text.  _ ‘Home is a tantrum zone. Stay at work.’  _ Trying to avoid a waterfall of tears in front of the woman, Richie cuts her off before she could say anything.

“Taylor, please thank this kind woman for letting you pet her dog.”

Taylor suddenly decides to become shy and huddles up close to her father, wrapping her arms around his legs. She mumbles into his jeans “Thank you.” It was quiet, but loud enough for the woman to hear.

The woman smiles and waves a little goodbye. “You’re welcome young lady.” With a little bark from Scooby, the womans pulls gently on his leash and they continue down the sidewalk. 

As soon as they’re gone, Taylor resumes her pleading look at her father. She sticks her lower lip out for added effect and makes her voice quiver a little. “Papa? Can we get a puppy?”

Richie sighs and looks down at her with a soothing expression, not wanting to give her any indication for what he was about to say. He kneels down so he can be closer to her height. He also tries pushing some hair out of her face, and tucks it behind her ear. “Sweetheart, daddy and I have talked to you about this already.”

She stomps her feet, crossing her arms across her chest. “I want a puppy!”

“I know you do, honey. Daddy and I just don’t think getting a puppy is a good idea right now.” Richie and Eddie both wanted a dog just as much as Taylor, but they had agreed that it was bad timing at the moment. Eddie was busy with work and Richie was about to be busy filming his new Netflix special. Their hands were about to be tied and a puppy would be a lot of unnecessary stress. 

Her voice becomes a little louder and slightly closer to a screech. “Why!?”

Richie tries to reason with her, keeping his voice gentle and calming. “Daddy has a lot of work right now. And you remember how we told you about my Netflix show? A puppy would be a lot of extra work for your daddy and I. I’m sorry sweetie, but we can’t get a puppy right now.”

“You and daddy are mean!” Tears start to fill her eyes and her breathing becomes staggered. She balls her hands up into tiny fists and screeches. 

Richie winces, and wishes that Eddie was with them. Eddie was the one that was good with the tantrums. He was a calming voice that was able to bring Taylor out of almost any distressing situation. All it took was a hug from Eddie and a few gentle words and any signs of tears were gone. 

“Let’s go home okay, honey?” Richie’s tone is starting to become slightly more urgent. All of Taylor’s screeching is going to give him a headache. 

Taylor wails, “No!” She sits down on the ground and tears stream down both of her puffy red cheeks. Looking up at Richie, her eyes are red and glassy from all of her tears. She sniffles a few times, and wipes her nose on her arm. 

Knowing that any chances of talking her out of the tantrum are gone, Richie gently scoops her up into his arms. She begins kicking him with all of the effort she can muster, Richie grunts as a few of them hit him square in the chest. 

“I want daddy! I want daddy!” 

Richie rubs her back gently still trying to soothe her. “I know, I know. We’re going to go home and you can see daddy.” As soon as he gets to the car he sits her in the back seat and struggles for a few minutes to get her seat-belt on. He jumps into the front seat and quickly whips out his phone, dialing Eddie. 

After a few rings, his husband picks up. Taylor keeps screaming in the background. Eddie pauses before answering. 

“ _ Richie why do I hear Taylor screaming _ ?”

Richie huffs, “Long story. Can you just come home immediately please?”

“ _ Yeah, just let me finish packing up. I should be home in about fifteen minutes _ .”

Taylor screeches again in the back seat, “I want daddy!”

Eddie hears this over the phone,  _ “Honey what happened? Why is she screaming for me? _ ”

Not wanting to draw any more attention to the sour subject, Richie avoids his question. “Eds, please just come home as soon as possible. We both need you.” 

** _“_ ** _ I know Richie, I’m coming _ ** _.”_ **

Normally, Richie would have made a sexual joke after a setup like that. But at the moment, he wasn’t in the mood. He just wanted to get home and have Eddie help him settle their daughter. 

\---

Eddie and Richie arrive home within a few minutes of each other. Richie is sitting with Taylor on the couch when Eddie walks in. Eddie immediately notices the chocolate ice cream stains on Taylor’s shirt and her sticky face. He shoots Richie a look before directing his attention back to their daughter. Her eyes are still full of tears, but her wailing has subsided a little. 

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” He rubs her cheek gently, wiping a few stray tears. He moves to sit on the couch, pulling her into his lap. 

Taylor immediately curls into his chest, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. She sniffles a few times before responding, her voice soft and quivering. “Papa won’t let me get a puppy.”

Eddie hums knowingly, her cries suddenly making sense. He kisses her forehead and whispers gently, “Taylor, papa and I have talked to you about this before. We can’t get a puppy right now.”

“Why?” 

Eddie gives her a gentle but comforting squeeze, “Maybe in the future, but for right now we don’t have enough time to care for a puppy.” 

“Maybe later?” Taylor looks up at Eddie and hiccups.

Eddie nods looking down into his daughter's sad eyes. “Later.” He leans closer and kisses her forehead, whispering lovingly, “Why don’t you try to take a nap, okay?” He begins to rock their daughter gently while humming softly. Eddie was usually able to lull her to sleep fairly easily, he hopes this time is like normal. 

After a few minutes, Taylor’s sniffles cease and her breathing changes into slow rhythmic inhales and exhales. 

Richie watches the pair, his headache slowly subsiding. His heart warms at the sight of Eddie holding their daughter and calming her down. Richie was often in awe of just how wonderful Eddie was at being a dad. It was so natural to him, and Richie found himself falling even deeper in love with Eddie. If that was even possible. 

Eddie glances up and notices Richie is staring. He gives him a gentle smile and mouths “I love you.”

Richie pretends to blow him a kiss and gives him a quick wink. He mouths back, “I love you too.”

They sit in silence for a minute letting Taylor sleep soundly in Eddie’s arms. After a few minutes Eddie winces, his arm falling asleep. He mumbles, “Hey Rich, can you help me move her to her bed?”

Silently, Richie nods and helps Eddie maneuver their daughter down the hall and into her bed. Eddie pulls her soft little blanket up to her chin and gives her one last kiss on the cheek. He turns to Richie and grabs his hand as they exit her bedroom, closing the door gently behind them. Once they’re outside of the door Eddie laughs softly.

“You took her for ice cream?” 

“What gave it away?”

“The ice cream all over her face and clothes, love.” 

“Oh, right.” Richie smiles as he leans down to meet Eddie’s lips in a kiss. He wraps his arms around his husband, pulling their bodies flush together. His hands snake down his back and rest on his ass. “It was supposed to be a secret, but then...she had the meltdown.”

“What brought that conversation on?”

“She saw a woman with a dog while we were eating ice cream. The dog’s name was Scooby and she fell in love.” Richie sighs heavily, “Then one thing lead to another and the next thing I know, I’m calling my loving husband in the car because our daughter won’t stop screaming for him.”

“I’m just glad she calmed down fairly quickly.”

“It’s all because of you Eds, your like the child whisperer. She always calms down when you’re around.”

Eddie smirks, “It’s one of my many talents.”

Richie hums as their lips meet again. Eddie was the perfect father and kisser. No fair. He pulls back slightly and sighs, “How are you so perfect at everything?” 

Eddie raises an eyebrow looking at his husband skeptically, “I’m not perfect Richie.”

“You’re a perfect dad and husband. You’re incredibly smart and you’re the kindest person I’ve ever met in my life. You have this calming presence that is literally the best thing in the world.” He pauses and smirks before adding, “And I have to say you’re a damn good kisser. That tongue can do wonders.” 

“I don’t know if I want to kiss you for being so adorable, cry because that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, or punch you for ending it like that.” Eddie’s soft brown eyes look up at Richie and his hands run up his back then neck, tangling in his husband’s thick curls.

“How about all but the last option?” 

Eddie playfully tugs at Richie’s hair which elicits a hiss from his parted lips. “You’re such an idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot.” Richie smirks and gives Eddie’s ass a playful squeeze. He didn’t intend on taking this further, but why should that stop him from teasing his husband. 

“Yes, and somehow you tricked me into marrying you.” His hands continue playing with some of Richie’s thick curls. “Then I let you trick me into having kids with you. You’re a master of making me weak Richie Tozier-Kaspbrak.” 

“What can I say, it’s not my fault that my best friend just happened to be the hottest and sweetest person in the world.”

His husband snorts in response, “I don’t know about all that. You’re making my heart all mushy filling me with all of these compliments.” 

“What do you want me to do about it?” Richie wiggles his eyebrows playfully. He loved peppering Eddie with kisses and compliments and watching him melt with all of the love he had for him.

Eddie groans and silences Richie with another kiss. He loved his husband but sometimes he just needed to shut up, quit teasing, and give Eddie those lips that he loved so much. 

As they’re kissing, Richie suddenly remembers their daughters painting. “Oh! I almost forgot to show you Taylor’s masterpiece.”

Eddie whines softly at the loss of their contact. He quickly wipes his lips on the back of his hand, trying to get rid of Richie’s extra spit. He tilts his head “Her masterpiece?” 

Richie walks into the kitchen and returns a few seconds later with the painting in his hands. He flips it around so Eddie can see their daughters interpretation of them. 

Eddie’s heart melts at the sight of the painting. He reaches out to grab it and smiles wide, “She painted this?”

“Yep, she was very proud of it too.” Richie points to the noticeably smaller Eddie on the paper, “She made sure to tell me she made her daddy shorter than her papa.”

Rolling his eyes Eddie snorts, “Of course she did.” 

“Your height makes you cute, baby.” Richie shoots his husband a wink. 

“Thanks.” Eddie gently lays the painting down on the coffee table in the living room and flops down on the couch. He pats the open space next to him and Richie joins him. Even though Richie was larger than Eddie, he liked being the smaller spoon and the one that curled up into Eddie’s chest. He shifts himself so that his head can rest on Eddie’s chest and his hand can trace the outlines of the muscles in his arms. It’s a comfortable position that they both love. They sit in silence for a moment, just enjoying each others presence. 

Richie is the first to break the silence. He hums quietly, “Did you mean what you said earlier?”

Eddie frowns unsure of what Richie was referencing. “What do you mean?”

“When you told Taylor we could get a dog in the future. Do you really want to do that?” 

He shrugs, “Yeah. I mean it would be nice to have a cute little dog that we could take on walks and love as a family.” 

Richie smiles as he pictures them with a perfect little dog. “Yeah, it would be nice. I just wish we weren’t so busy.”

With a sigh, Eddie agrees. “I know, but we’re both in such good places in our careers. As soon as things slow down I don’t think a dog would be an issue.” 

“I just hope we can avoid any more temper tantrums until then.”

“She’s your daughter, so we’ll see about that.”

Richie huffs and pretends to act hurt, “What are you saying Eddie Spaghetti? Are you trying to say I’m…..dramatic?” He gasps and clutches a hand over his heart. 

“I would never say that. My husband being…...dramatic? That’s Impossible.” The look that Eddie gives Richie says something completely different. It’s a teasing smirk that makes Eddie look all too pleased with himself. 

Richie decides to tease him right back, “ _ I’m _ the one with the dramatic husband.” He pauses and changes his voice to a very nonchalant yet teasing tone. “My husband is constantly being dramatic. He’s always worrying about me and it’s so annoying. He’s always telling me to text him when I get to work, or when I get home so he can make sure I’m safe. He also has a really bad habit of touching me gently like he’s going to break me. What even is that? I like it rough sometimes.” He glances up at Eddie, “What do you think I should do about my husband? Should I dump him? He’s cute but he’s kinda lame and loves me  _ way _ too much.”

“Yeah, I definitely think you should. Get rid of his lame ass.” 

Richie sighs, “Such a shame. I actually kinda liked him. He was a really good dad and he had _amazingly _soft lips. His dick was nice too I suppose, he could work wonders with it.”

Eddie hums, “Sounds like he is quite a catch.”

“He is. Sometimes it feels like I’m living this fairy tale life. I can’t believe that I managed to grow up with such an amazing person, and then marry him.” Richie reaches for Eddie’s hand and intertwines their fingers, giving his husbands hand a tight squeeze. “And then he had a kid with me and life became even more perfect.” 

Before he could say anything else, Eddie leans down and captures Richie’s lips in a sweet kiss. The kiss quickly deepens and the air is filled with their soft needy moans. Eddie pulls back to whispers against Richie’s spit slicked lips, “I love you so fucking much.”

All Richie can do is smile into their kiss and whisper back, “I love you too.” 

\----

To Eddie and Richie’s delight, Taylor didn’t mention the dog situation again. They were able to go through a few chaotic months without any major meltdowns, which was a cause for celebration. Eddie’s job was also finally beginning to slow down, and Richie’s Netflix show had been filmed without any major issues. After one evening full of discussion, Eddie and Richie finally decided on one thing. It was time to get a dog. 

So now, nine months after the initial meltdown, Eddie and Richie found themselves sitting in a private room inside of a pet adoption center waiting to receive their newest family member. They had decided on Felix, a fluffy little golden Pomeranian. During their first meeting, Felix had been the friendliest dog in the bunch. He was constantly trying to play and lick them. Almost instantly, Richie and Eddie knew they wanted to take him home. Finally, the door clicks open and one of the vet technicians walks in carrying Felix.

“There he is, our little buddy!” Richie opens his arms reaching out for Felix, who was wagging his tail as fast as possible. 

Eddie chuckles and reaches out to pet Felix. “Just wait until you meet Taylor, Felix. She’s going to love you.” He smiles at the thought of their daughters reaction. Taylor was going to absolutely freak out. 

The vet technician smiles kindly and pulls the adoption papers out of her pocket. “Alright, I’ll just need you guys to sign this paper and then he’s all yours!”

Eddie grabs a pen and takes the papers from the technician. He quickly signs their names and re reads through the walls of text on the agreement. It takes him a second to work through the entire paperwork.

“Baby, we aren’t signing our life away.”

Rolling his eyes Eddie sighs, “You can never be too careful.”

“No one ever reads the terms and conditions.” Felix barks as if agreeing with Richie.

“Well, it looks like I’m outnumbered.”

The technician laughs as she takes the adoption paperwork back. She digs out a few extra things for Richie and Eddie to take home and sends them on their way.

Once they’re finally in the car, Felix jumps around the back seat, tail wagging at lightning speed. His tongue hangs out of his mouth, occasionally splashing spit around him. Richie watches him in the rear view mirror with a huge grin on face.

“Oh Ed’s, he’s the cutest dog I’ve ever seen. Taylor is going to scream when she sees him.”

“I know, he’s perfect.”

Felix gives a little yelp and playfully wags his tiny little tail. Eddie chuckles and turns so he can keep an eye on him. Even though he was cute, puppies could cause some serious damage if left unsupervised for more than five seconds.

“Alright, lets go pick Taylor up from school!”

The drive felt longer than normal with a puppy yelping in the back seat. Eddie decides to go in and get Taylor since Richie did it normally. After a few minutes he re-appears with Taylor by his side, their hands intertwined and swinging between them. Eddie laughs at something Taylor says and Richie can’t help but smile. Watching his two favorite people in the entire world be happy made him insanely happy. 

As Taylor gets closer to the car she hears the tiny barking coming from Felix in the backseat. She squeals, “DADDY!” Richie can hear her little feat running towards the car at lightning speed. She slaps her hand on the door handle and pulls it open quickly, “It’s a puppy!”

Eddie smiles and stands behind her just in case Felix decides to make a run for it. “His name is Felix.”

Taylor jumps into the back seat and gathers Felix in her arms, hugging him tightly. Felix instantly starts licking her face and making pleased little snorts. “He likes me!” She giggles and kisses the top of his fluffy head, “Oh Felix, I love you.”

As Eddie climbs back into the front seat he laughs, “He loves you too.”

“Thank you papa and daddy!”

Richie looks once again into the rear-view mirror, catching a glance at his daughter and Felix. “Your welcome, but you know you have to help us take care of him Taylor.”

She rolls her eyes cutely and sighs, “I know papa.”

Eddie mumbles, “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Richie leans over across the car console and gives Eddie a kiss on the cheek, “Congrats baby, we now have two kids.”

Richie smirks as he turns around to look at Taylor and Felix. “What do you say we go take Felix to get some ice cream, and then afterwards we can go home and make Felix a fortress out of blankets and pillows?”

Taylor squeals with delight, “Please papa! I want to do that!” 

Eddie gets a vision of their living room being turned to shambles. He mumbles, “Make that three.” 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, please leave comments/feedback if you would like! I hope you enjoyed the second installment of my little series.


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